Apple Blossom Time

One of the apple trees in our garden is blooming, and it's so beautiful!  As I was admiring the blossoms yesterday, I remembered another bit of old farmers wisdom passed on by my Uncle Rick.  Along with his "don't plant until after the full moon following Victoria Day" rule, he also has told me it's safe to plant once the apple trees are blossoming. 

I also harvested my first little bit of rhubarb last night.  Rhubarb and asparagus are the earliest crops in the garden, I think.  I recently heard from another experienced gardener that you can cut a slit in a rhubarb leaf and place it around a bean plant, kind of like a skirt.  This will protect the plant from all sorts of evils, apparently.  Rhubarb leaves are toxic, and can't be composted, so this is a good way to use some of them, instead of just throwing them out.  My beans have just been planted, and aren't up yet, so I will have to wait til later in the season to try this tip.  I'll let you know the results.